My cat won't eat or drink

andrea_san_diegoMay 23, 2007

My cat Shonen stopped eating and drinking 3 weeks ago and has lost 3 pounds. He is down to a scrawny 10 pounds and looks terrible. In the past week I've taken him to the vet 3 times. The vet took a blood sample because there were no obvious signs of illness except for slightly watery eyes and he shows signs of nausea. The vet also hydrated Shonen twice. Shonen's white count is high indicating a bacterial infection but all of the other blood panels are normal. I gave Shonen clavamox for a couple of days but it made no difference so the vet gave him a shot of pennicillian and I have a bottle of another antibiotic tablets to mix with his food. The only problem is that Shonen isn't eating or drinking and hides under my bed all day and night. I think that Shonen is totally traumatized by the whole event and is afraid to come out for fear that I'll take him to the vet again. He's also very weak and feels vulnerable. He's only 5 years old and now he doesn't have the strength to jump up on my bed. He's also an indoor cat and has never been outside the house. I have another cat who is completly normal and full of vigor.

I love this cat dearly and if anyone has any suggestions please respond.

Has your cat been tested for CRF (Chronic Renal Failure or Kidney Disease)? The vet would have done a urinalysis. If not, I would have that done if I were you, just to rule it out.

Sometimes when a cat stops eating, they still won't eat even after you've treated the problem i.e. the bacterial infection (if that is what it is). They just seem to lose interest in food. Has your vet given you any suggestion on how to get Shonen to eat? Have you tried really smelly canned food? Did your vet suggest a feeding tube?

I think it is time to get another Vet's opinion ASAP and I mean today. Maybe a vet who specializes in cats, a veterinary school or possibly an emergency vet. Cats who stop eating are at a very high risk of developing Fatty Liver Disease which can be fatal if not treated aggressively. Obviously Shonen will face other complications due to lack of eating/drinking.

I wish I had better advice for you but I think the best thing is to get Shonen to see another vet ASAP. I am sorry you are going through this. It is so hard when our kitties are sick and we don't know why. I will keep you and Shonen in my prayers. Please keep us posted.

CRF would have shown up in the blood panel that you've already had done, but hyperthyroidism may not have. The blood test for hyperthyroidism is run separately from a standard blood panel, so you should check with your vet to confirm that your cat was tested specifically for hyperthyroidism.

Two days on any antibiotic is not likely to make any noticeable difference in a bacterial infection. Antibiotics simply don't work that quickly. That's why it's ESSENTIAL to give the ENTIRE round of antibiotics on a regular schedule without missing any doses until you run out of medication (or complete the prescribed period of treatment).

If Shonen isn't eating on his own, it's important for you to syringe feed him before he starves to death or develops hepatic lipidosis (the liver disease to which oddity referred). If he's already too weak to jump up on the bed, he's apparently very debilitated. Go to a vet's office and pick up some prescription A/D canned food, Nutrical, and a couple of feeding syringes. Mix 1/4 can of A/D and a tsp of Nutrical with enough warm water to make a thick slurry that you can suck up into a feeding syringe. Wrap Shonen in a large towel and place him between your legs while you sit on the floor. With the feeding syringe, slowly squeeze a small amount of slurry into the side of Shonen's mouth and wait for him to swallow before squeezing in a little more. Continue until you have fed him all of the slurry. Do this three times a day until he is eating on his own again.

You must administer his antibiotic pills on schedule regardless of whether or not he is eating on his own. You will also need to bring him back to the vet frequently for fluids until he is drinking again. Dehydration will make him feel very sick, weak, and nauseous and can do significant damage to his organs. Your vet can teach you how to administer subQ fluids at home if you're willing.

You can get Shonen through this, but you're going to have to get food, fluids, and antibiotics into him for as long as he needs them.

My cat lost weight in a very short period of time due to hyperthyroidism. It was amazing to suddenly see him thin, weak, and scrawny when just a few weeks before he had been healthy and looking good. I agree that the situation is an emergency and that you need to seek vet help asap. Losing that much weight and continuing not to eat and drink this long is severe.

Hyperthyroidism does not fit. The cat is only 5 years old, and although not impossible it would be very very rare for a cat that young to be hyperthyroid. HyperT4 also causes INCREASED appetite and weight loss, not decreased appetite. Finally, hyperthyproidism does not cause an increased WBC count. A high WBC count does not necessarily mean bacterial infection, just inflammation.

Not eating and drinking for 3 weeks(!)is an emergency. If your regular vet does not have anything besides a CBC and chem panel to offer (ie serology, endoscopy, ultrasound, radiographs, etc) then I'd say take him to a different vet who has better diagnostic skills and equipment. I'm not going to speculate what could be causing Shoen's problems, but I will speculate that if he is not properly diagnosed and treated very soon, he may not make it. Please take him to a vet, a different one if needed, and have them do whatever it takes to find out what is wrong so you have a chance to fix it. Good thoughts are coming your way. Please keep us posted.

My cat Whisper is a fifteen year old female. She was throwing up, not eating and drinking, acting very subdued, hiding. I took her to the vet who found normal kidneys, but fluid retention and overactive thyroid and too high white cell count. She was on clavamox for three weeks and she's much better. I mixed the clavamox liquid in Fancy Feast canned food and she ate it all. But now I have thyroid and liver pills to give her every day. She hates taking pills. I have to chase her down and tie her up in a big towel.

Definitely seek a second opinion and try feeding kitty slurry as suggested above. Also, put boxes under your bed to keep her from hiding there. It seems harsh to have to drag them out from under the bed when you want to give them their treatments, maybe keep her in a room where she can't hide from you. Has she been vaccinated for feline leukemia? We lost a kitten to that after we rescued it from the pound, and he wouldn't eat but not eating seem sto be a common kitten symptom. I'll keep her in my prayers, hope she gets over whatever it is.

Thank you all for your kind words, suggestions and support. When I came home from work today I was able to get Shonen out from under the bed, then closed the bedroom door so he couldn't get back in. I felt like a big meany doing that to him but I'm glad I did. He was out in the kitchen and living room for 4 hours and during that time he drank a little water and ate 2 bites of wet food. I think he trusts me again and allowed me to hold him and he fell asleep in my arms. First thing in the morning I'm going to call the vet and ask about the various conditions you all have mentioned and will also ask about syringe feeding. If I don't get a decent answer I'll call someone else. Oh yes, he even used the litter box tonight.

I'm sorry, but there is no way the vet will be able to diagnose any of those conditions over the phone. You will need more diagnostic testing. I hope he does well, but he does need to be properly diagnosed and treated for that to happen.

Yesterday I found another vet in town that has a clinic dedicated to cats.They have their own lab, xray equipment amd other diagnostic tools just for cats. The first appointment I could get was for early Friday morning and they have called my old vet to have Shonen's records and test results faxed to them. I have my list of questions all ready and after talking to them this morning I'm feeling pretty optomistic. I'll keep you all posted on the results.

Andrea

I was able to get him out from under the bed and I've wedged boards all around my bed so he can't get under it anymore.

I wouldn't worry about him being under the bed. He doesn't feel well and under the bed makes him feel safer. I'd put soft towels or a comforter under there for him. You might slide a bowl of smelly food in too :) He isn't going to live there forever and if he feels secure there, that's not a bad thing. How did the Friday appt go? Hoping you have some answers and that Shonen is doing a little better today.

Friday was a very long day. Saw the new vet for a second opinon and she did an ultrasound of Shonen's abdomen, a urinalysis, and a test for FIV. The FIV test was negative, the urine sample was concentrated but OK, however the ultrasound showed a very large lymphatic mass in his abdomen. She gave me a referral to take Shonen right away to an animal hostipal ER to see an oncologist. I was impressed that the hospital was operated by the University of California Davis Veterinary College and they had all sorts of specialists.

They kept Shonen until 8pm to do another detailed ultrasound which showed a large mass in his small intestines. His lymph nodes are greatly enlarged with some being 2 1/2" across. The intestinal walls have become very thick and the doctor doesn't know yet if it is a carcinoma or lymphoma. The doctor removed a sample of the fluid from the mass and the lab results will tell us how bad it is. I just called the doctor but he is in a meeting but he will call me this evening. He did say that because the mass is so large surgery is not an option. If the mass is a lymphoma they can begin treating it with chemotherapy which has a 50% response rate. If it is a carcinoma all they can do is make Shonen comfortable.

The cat clinic gave Shonen a drug to increase his appetite and it seems to be working. He has eaten about 1 TBS. of the smelliest cat food I could find today and he has been walking around the house a little. The poor guy is so weak that I'm able to give him his medicine without a struggle. As soon as I hear from the doctor I'll let you all know the verdict.

I could have written last night but I've been down in the dumps. Shonen has an agressive highgrade lymphoma which is treatable with chemotherapy. "IF" the treatment is successful the rate of recovery is only 20%-40% that he will live maybe another year. Then there is the problem of the functional blockage in his intestines which complicates things. The chemo is very expensive ($6000.00) for a 25 week series but if I really thought that it would help the cost would not bother me. Today he is so weak and looking much worse than yesterday and I don't want him to suffer the trauma that chemo treatments would cause. The doctor gave me a prescription for a steroid to help him feel better although it is no cure. At the rate he's going I don't think he'll last another week but if his suffering gets any worse I'll have him euthanized. It actually was an easy decision because he was always so skittish about going to the vet or getting his claws clipped and I feel that it would be cruel to subject him to more trauma. I want his last days to be peaceful, calm and comfortable.

I realize this thread is over three years old, but may I ask about Shonen's eventual fate? Assuming he did not make it, how long did he last?

I lost my cat Popper a little over two years ago at 10-1/2 years old and she had nearly identical symptoms. At the time I could find no information online at all that quite matched her symptoms, but she seemed perfectly healthy and one day just stopped eating. After two weeks I brought her to a vet who took an x-ray and found what seemed to be a large mass around her pancreas. An untrasound confirmed an enlarged pancreas as well as fatty cells in the liver (which is to be expected after not eating for so long) .

The assumption was that it was pancreatitis. A sample taken with a needle did not seem to include any cancer cells, but the possibility of cancer was always there. The following weeks were filled with vomiting, feeding via feeding tube/syringe, administering antibiotics, steroids, subcutaneous fluids, etc. She never ate again.

She finally passed after about a month and an autopsy did indicate cancer in both her liver and pancreas. This was one of the most difficult periods I have ever experienced and you are the first person I have come across who has had almost the same experience.

Hucko, our cat George is going through this right now. He's 9 or 10, but has been losing weight over the last six to nine months. We've had blood tests done, haven't had an XRay done. He was suffering from allergies, lost a lot of hair, and as we finally cleared that up the weight loss accelerated. He's now at 5.2 pounds, down from 10 to 12 pounds. He's eating maybe just over 1/2 can of food a day.

We're suspecting cancer; our vet can't do the tests, and the nearest vet who can is a couple hours away. Since if he does have cancer, we wouldn't put him through chemotherapy, we didn't do the tests. But does sound a bit like what you went through, although no vomiting.

Anyway, we're now just deciding how long do we let him waste away; is it better to have him put to sleep? He's still moving around fairly well but is starting to lose focus. Guess we'll see what happens in the next couple days. He's lost over 1/2 pound in about a week...

My 13 year old cat, 3 years indoor and 10 years outdoor has the same problems. She has lost alot of weight over the last year, was infested with fleas saturday, washed with flea shampoo, and has been downhill since, lethargic. Took her to the vet yesterday when the dog found her by the basement door unable to move too far. I took her to the vet and had her filled with fluids intraveniously, vitamin B, and have been feeding her food and water from tuna fish in water from a syringe. I am hoping she will pull through but she cannot even meow. She will not close her eyes completely, her eyes are sunken in her head, and she does not appear to be sleeping too much. She is defintely going to die of either dehydration or whatever condition she has. We will find out when the blood tests come back today.

I have had alot of animals over the years, but have never had one fizzle out and slowly die like this before, it is disturbing to see. I guess I want to keep hope alive but know that this is the end for Jasmine, and this is in fact her final chance to get better. I do not see a miracle around the corner, but hope that she gets better.

My black tuxedo cat, "Little Moe-Del," was born June 29, 2009, one of 5. He was very special and got to spend lots of time indoors. He potty trained himself, as soon as his eyes were opened, by going to the bottom of their tower, which was on the carport. He was a definite Keeper. He never potted in the house. He would go to the door and make a sound that sounded like "Out", and rush to his favorite spot to potty. After my two beautiful Calicos were taken, I decided to make him a house cat. I had the two Mother cats spayed and also the 3 Calico girls at 6 months, so I have a lot invested in cats that were dropped off. I brought Little Moe in last Tuesday, he learned to use the litter box, he never had anything different to eat. The only thing different was cat litter. He didn't eat Friday, by Saturday morning, he was crying ever once in a while and by noon he was gone. Unbelieveable! His last urine was an intense bright yellow. After it looked like he was gone and his precious body was stiffening. I started talking to him, massaging his back and rubbing his tummy...he revived and put his front paws together, as if praying. He was so Precious.......I will never know what caused his death. What I should have done, was call the vets emergency line, but he is an hour away. I promised him we would go early tomorrow (MONday). Never put off until tomorrow, because tomorrows never come!

We had this same situation. After not eating for more than a week, our cat basically just seemed to be getting ready to die. I bought some raw milk and started setting it in front of him and he would take a few sips and then use all of his strength and walk away. Later, I took a small medicine dropper and started forcing water into his mouth in small doses ever 5 minutes or so which made him seem a little more lucid but no more willingness to eat his food.

We really thought he was in his last 24 hours when it occurred to me that his eating habits had started to go down hill about three weeks earlier when I had noticed a slight change in the color of his food. He has always been a finicky eater and has always wanted the store brand version of Purina. So wondering if this could be the problem, I want and got the real Purina version and he started eating it immediately. After he regained his strength I tried to give him some of the left over old stuff right next to the new stuff and he wouldn't touch it. Evidently a slight change in the formula for the food threw him in a total downward spiral.

So, for those who are checking this forum just like we were, you might want to try the equivalent store brand or name brand of whatever you've been feeding him. Sounds to easy but it worked in our case.

Crazy to see posts still happening 4 years later. I am very worried about my 7yr. old cat. She also has pretty much stopped eating and I am worried she will not recover from this. About 3 weeks ago I took her to a new vet (Ours move to NC) because she was sleeping alot and not eating much. I also only noticed then that she had lost a noticeable amount of weight. She is so thin now. The doctor did a CBC and checked her electrolyte balance, took an x-ray and everything looked ok except her pancreas enzymes were off. So she was diagnosed with Pancreatitis and constipation, given an antibiotic and some Lactulose. They injected her with water for her dehydration. At that visit she weight 7lbs. We did a follow-up a week later and she seemed a little better and her weight was 7.4lbs. It has now been 3 weeks since her recheck and I have tried several different types of food,meat based baby food, canned and dry also tuna in water (which she actually eats a little of that)and warming doesn't help. I will be calling the vet again but I'm torn between taking her to another vet. I'm not sure if I was really impressed with this other new one. I can't afford alot for treatment but I do have alot of time to care for her. I am worried that her kidneys will shut down if she isn't eating or drinking more. I don't even know if what she's eating is measurable. Should I try force feeding with a syringe? She vomits frequently and I don't want to upset her stomach or pancreas more. last night when she got sick it was clear but there was something in it that looked like a potato peel? I'm not sure what it was but it was very strange, I haven't peeled potatoes in weeks. I am willing to hear ANY advice.

Definitely call the vet. In the meantime, have you tried Science Diet A/D? You can get that at your vet's office I'm sure. It's highly palatable and might stimulate your kitty's appetite. You can even mix in a little jarred chicken baby food or a little tuna to make it even more appealing.

Yes, it's odd that this thread is re-appearing 4 years later.. I guess, this is a common problem with cats...

Now, of course, take her to a new vet if you did not like the previous one. However, I am wondering if you kept the 'last vomit' to show the vet.. Could she have thrown up a worm?? or something that she swallowed.. like a rubber band, ribbon... she may just have something blocking her Digestive trac.. X-ray might be needed.

As for pancreatitis, it is very hard to diagnose for sure. You would need a fPL blood test. Does she appear sore in her abdomen--very tender to the touch? It is said to be quite painful so she might need pain medication such as tramadol, buprenex.

In the meantime, she needs to eat.. anything she will take. I am no fan of any Sc. Diet, but any soft food she will accept... home-made chicken broth (NO onions), plain chicken.. baby food (no onions)... Avoid extra fat. and YES to force feeding her with a syringe if everything else fails.

She needs to see a vet ASAP... but if you manage to get some food in her, it would be great...

Our 15 yr old Cat Bailey hasnt really eaten in about 2 weeks. Its been about a month that Ive noticed a change in her behavior. Sleeping in odd places, rooms she doesnt usually go in..or spots shes never slept on. She refuses to eat or drink. She has always been a skinny cat but she is wasting away now. We have NO money to see a vet. I think we are going to have to euthanize her if this keeps up. I cannot stand her suffering. We have been spending a lot of time w her. Trying to snuggle and give some extra attention. But she can only take so much and then SLOWLY gets up..staggers away to be left alone. This is heartwrenching. I will take another day or two trying to force feed her. It hasnt worked yet. But after that...I think it would be wrong to simply keep her around because we cant bare to lose her. Its torture watching her suffer :( Our 8 yr old is a mess. Anyone else put an animal down? Did you have your child with you? She wants to be there...but Im not sure how I feel about that. Anyone?

I'm desparate to get some help for Sophie. I stumbled upon this forum and saw that the thread is still alive years later. I'm hoping someone can give me some advice. About a week and a 1/2 ago, I came home to find Sophie with thie weird sticky white stuff all over her face. I couldn't even remove it. She got so sick, and stopped eating and drinking. After a day of this, I brought her to the vet the next day. I thought she was poisoned. THey said no, that if she was poisoned there would be ulcers and sores in her mouth and she would probably be dead. At home she started hiding under the bed, and didn't communicate with me or her sister at all. After trying to force her to eat, to no avail, the vet admitted her for 2 days. They did 2 xrays, 1 showed a huge gas bubble and her small intestines looked all bunched up. She was also constipated. They originally talked about exploratory surgery! but the next day the xray showed the gas had gone down and the intestines seemed more relaxed. During my visit to her at the vet, I discovered that if I put a spoon with baby food in front of her that she had a licking reflex. I was able to get maybe 3 bites into her. So they released her thinking she was over the hump because she was getting fiesty and pissed off. Obviously had some strength back. After 2 days she started drinking, she uses her litter box, but she will not eat. At first I tried force feeding her, and I tried giving her these appetite inducing pills but just she throws up at the smell of food. She just wretches up foam. Her weight has gone down so much she is a frail version of her former self, but so sweet. She doesn't hide, she's with me and her sister. I beg her to eat, but it's apparent she can't. The vet wants to do an ultrasound tomorrow. I already spent $1,000 of money I don't really have. Now it's another 320 for that test. I love her so much but I feel like I'm watching her die. Can somebody offer me some kind of advice. The vet didn't call me back for 6 hours today. I think he's giving up. Help, I'm desperate...

First, find a more proactive vet, one who won't give up. If she were my cat, I'd save the money on the ultrasound and have the exploratory surgery, instead, and I'd have it done immediately before she weakened any further. It sounds like your girl might have ingested something that is causing an obstruction - something that isn't showing up in x-rays. If she does have an obstruction, she won't be able to eat until it is removed. If she can't eat, she is at high risk of developing potentially fatal hepatic lipidosis.

I hope you can find a better vet who will give your girl the critical care she needs.

Thanks for your response. The vets that I go to are a group. This is one doctor out of 3, the other 2 are awesome. Unfortunately they only had the one guy on yesterday. I really like the other 2 so much more. I was told that he was talking with the other doc (who was on vaca last week) to see what they could come up with. The exploratory surgery sounds so scarey. I don't have $4,000 which is what it seems like it will cost with hospital stays etc. Hopefully the ultrasound will show if there is an obstruction and they won't have to go in blind. But I've taken what you've said very seriously and if I don't feel they are proactive I will find someone who is. We'll see what happens after today. Supposedly there is a doc that is coming in specifically to perform the ultrasound.By the way, Sophie is 9.

Sophie is scheduled for exploratory surgery tomorrow, the ultrasound didn't really show anything. They were trying to keep the costs down. It's ended up costing more, but I don't really want to put her through the surgery, and what happens if they don't find anything. Is that it?

Well, thanks to everyone who insisted my cat need exploratory surgery, not only did they not find anything, but they put a feeding tube in her nose and a cone around her head and made her worse than before...

I had the cat won't eat problem. The Vet gave her two enemas, blood work was normal and after a week she still would not eat. I took her bavk to the Vet she gave her a shot containg vitamin b12,cortisone and an antibiotic. She started eating the next day and her stool was normal. The shot stimulated her appitite. Please insist your Vet give this shot. I was lucky I had a good Vet

My cat, Harley, is 11. He won't drink or eat - but when I feed him, etc - he will take it. He lays on the floor crumpled up. Been to the vet 3 times -- on antibiotics, given fluids, etc - but it doesn't seem to help. His blood work came back good too -- so now what? We are going back tomorrow - I'm wondering if he should have an ultra-sound, etc? I worry that he is in a lot of pain -- and feel bad that we can't get him to feel better.

My 12 year old cat has been at the vet for over a week. She wouldnt eat or drink. Has anemia. Red blood count was 2 when we took her in-should be 10. Put her on IV and force feeding her. After a week her blood count only up to 4. She still wont eat on her own. All blood work/tests came back normal. Vet called a blood specialist-nobody has a clue why she wont eat. Vet says sometimes elderly cats when they have gotten sick, just decide to not eat anymore. Vet says she just is not improving like she should and we may need to make a decision. Giving it a few more days to see. may bring her home for a day or so to see if that helps and to let her "tell" me what she wants. I really just dont know what to do.

My cat Macy (she's two) got very lethargic on Sunday evening into Monday and wouldn't eat or drink anything. I took her to the emergency vet on Monday, July 4th and they took her vitals which were all normal. I decided to bring her home and take her to her regular vet the next morning. As soon as I brought her home she hid under the bed and wouldn't come out. I got her out at some point that evening and laid her on the bed and petted her for a long while. She didn't really move and stayed on the bed for a couple of hours before hiding under the bed again. Took her to the vet the next day and so it was almost 3 full days that she hadn't eaten or really drank anything. She would try to drink and would throw up within a few minutes. Her vet took her vitals which were all normal and then took blood. Some of her levels were elevated and they weren't sure what was going on. They decided to keep her and put her on iv fluids. They also did a radio-graph and found that there were no blockages anywhere. She spent the night and I picked her up the next day at noon because she would not east for them at all. When I brought her home she still wouldn't eat for me. Would sniff her food, but then just turn away. I had bought all sorts of different things to try to tempt her to eat, but to no avail. Eventually (within an hour or two) she started to try to eat a little bit of her cat treats and she has steadily improved since then. Today (Friday) she is just about back to her normal self. Took back to the vet yesterday morning and the vet said they still didn't really have any idea what had caused the problem, but as long as she was better was the main thing. I'm just glad that she's ok after reading a lot of the information I found online. I just wanted to post to let people know that sometimes the cause can't be determined, but that there is hope that it may just be viral or a bacterial infection. I hope everyone's kitties are ok!!

It is heartbreaking that this is happening to so many cats.
My boy and girls are 14,inside cats, act like kittens,running,playing.They are our babies and we love them dearly.
Several days ago my boy started acting lethargic .Last evening he would not respond to any stimuli so I knew something was desperately wrong.
Almost a year ago he had the same symptoms and the Vet found only high normal Thyroid and gave him a Penicillin shot.No Advice except come back for more tests. I did not. But I mixed together cats milk,can of baby cat food,and Nutri cal.( Gel formula in tube) and kept feeding him with a syringe which brought him around in a few days.
He seems to be worse off this time,not eating,drinking,wobbly,hiding,making a funny little rumbling noise.Again I am feeding him with a syringe but he is resisting more.He did drink a little from a bowl, including water from canned tuna. I will continue this until he is better and until I hear the blood results from the Vet in 2 days.
His diet has been Hill Prescription wet and dry food,which I must keep my girl on as well.Both of them have been eating much less of the wet food in the last 9 months.
She is about 12-13 lbs.He has been losing weight down from 12 last year to 9.12 lbs. I have wondered about the quality of the canned food and now wonder if all of this so called healthy cat food is actually making our feline cats ill?(Like what the food from China did ) I know that they are prone to thyroid,diabetes,cancer and a few other diseases,but one would think that if humans diet can improve the quality of life, why not for cats?
Does anyone else thing that there might be something worn with the food that our little fur babies are eating that is causing this?
Hoping that some medical breakthru's can be found for our sweet little 4 legged companions.
Best wishes to everyone.

Back in June, we took our diabetic cat to the vet for his diabetic curve. The vet lowered his insulin dosage and ever since then (coincidentally?), he just hasn't been the same. He used to be our best eater, but he's not anymore. He doesn't prowl around at night (all four cats are indoor only cats) or chase his brother anymore. The vet did another curve in August and needed to reduce his insulin even more and feels he will be off all insulin within six months. The only problem is, I don't know if he will still be alive. The vet has run the usual blood work and urinalysis and was surprised how perfect it was on a 15 year old cat and gave him a thorough exam and said everything is fine, teeth, ears, doesn't feel any lumps/bumps, etc. Friday, I took him for a second opinion and this vet performed full body X-rays and found he had lots of gas and the specialist he consulted with said he has either gastritis or pancreatitis. They didn't get a good view of his pancreas, kidneys or liver because of all the gas, but did not see cancer any where else. We were given Metronidzole antibiotic 62.5 mg 1xday, Viyo liquid, cyproheptadine to stimulate his appetite and a stool softener. He ate a little yesterday so we thought things were getting better. Today, I had to force-feed him some baby food. I don't know if he has given up, is depressed or what. His biological sister died four years ago from pancreatic cancer; his mother has constipation issues, kidney disease and hypercalcemia; another sister has hypothyroidism (after having radio-iodine for hyperthyroidism). His brother doesn't have health issues at this time (knock on wood). Please help! I'm not ready to watch him die.

My cat was not eating or drinking, not peeing, or having bowel movements. She was throwing up green foamy stuff & gagging at the smell of wet food. She was hiding under the bed, not wanting to come out & very lethargic. This went on for 5 days when I finally took her to the vet. The vet only did a physical and told me he needed to do a billion tests to find out what was wrong & it would come out to be $356. I didn't have that money so I just got fluids subcutaneously injected. They said it might help with her appetite. They gave me all the possible causes that it could be which have been listed on this site already.

That night I gave her 10ml of water via a syringe every 2 hours 3 times. I blocked her way of getting under the bed. I added a scoop of her dry food into a cup of water & in the morning it was soggy enough for me to mush into a paste. When I added water I got it thru the syringe. I gave her 5 ml of the food mush the next morning along with 10 ml of water before I went to work. There are videos on youtube that show you how to feed the cat. It took me about 15 minutes.

While I was at work my mom gave my cat 10 ml of water every two hours & 5 ml of olive oil every 2 hrs. Her friend has a cat that gets into everything & often has blockages & she uses olive oil for about a week and it helps her pass it. When I got home from work I gave the cat 10 ml water & tried with the food. Later on she ate a bit on her own and was drinking on her own.

Today, I went to a clinic that my mom found online (Women's Humane Society) and they were cheap compared to all other local places. I told them the symptoms and based on that the vet did an xray. They saw that she was very constipated which has been causing her enough discomfort to now eat. They gave her an enema & stool softener & she was passing stool for about 20 minutes. The vet prescribed stool softener, a/d cat food (which, of course, she happily ate infront of the vet after I said she wasn't eating), & an appetite stimulant. She's not drinking water on her own but still not eating. I'm sure her tummy just hurts from the enema. He told me I MUST have her eat a can of food a day. He used a popsicle stick and smeared it on the roof of her mouth to feed her. It was $205 total. (30 physical, 120 xray, the rest was for the Rx)

Good luck to everyone. 24-48 without eating isn't a concern for vets. Don't let the vets fool you into a million tests, insist on just fluids & an xray. Make sure you search around for a place that provides great care & is inexpensive like the place I went.

I'm having a similar non-eating problem with my 13 y/o male cat, Scout. He used to be a robust 16-18 lb big boned cat, but with in about a week(?) or less he dropped to 12.75lb.

Prior to this I noticed he stopped chewing his dry sd c/d food, so i would soak it. then he stopped eating that, and I noticed he was drooling constantly. the drool is the consistency of egg whites. and his mouth smelled really really bad. and of course i noticed he was getting really thin and looked so uncomfortable.

I took him to vet last wednesday 11/23 and she found an infection under his tongue. She administered a Cerenia injection (a long acting antibiotic i think) and metronidazole 50mg chewable tablets to address the smelly bacteria in his mouth (tablets for 10 days).

She suggested a dental cleaning in two days for two reasons - she can explore under his tongue and might as well address all the plaque build up. well i didn't sch. the dental appt bc i am laid off and short on funds. and figured maybe the antibiotic would do the trick.

tried to temp him left over turkey from thanksgiving, but he would take a lick or two and walk away. I crushed up his favorite treats - Greenies- and it got him to take a bite but now that doesn't work.

Found your forum and this posts and they are really helpful, although they brought tears to my eyes thinking this might be the end of the road for Scout. I bought sc a/d and Nutrical and have been doing the syringe feeding fri-sat-sun-today. Unfortunately i really have to force feed him. can get down 12-24ml of slurry as many times a day as i can, but overall not amounting to anything near what he used to eat on his own.

And discovered a watering trick - Scout was only pawing at water dish and not drinking so after see earlier posts about hydration, i remembered he loved to drink from faucet. so now i set him on sink to drink several times through out day. and he just drinks and drinks and drinks. and drools.

Spoke to friend who is a large animal vet, but used to do small animals, and brought up possibility of feline stomatitis. I think she said it was an immune reaction to bacteria on teeth. and suggested I go with that dental cleaning because teeth pain may be the reason he is not eating. she also gave me something to administer for pain - Metacam (meloxicam) - hoping if pain subsided he would eat on his own.

well after giving him pain med sat night and sun night, still not eating on his own. called vet today to schedule that dental cleaning after all. Will bring him in tomorrow. my thinking is that he is not that old yet and still probably has about 5years left so i'll bite the bullet and invest in this last ditch effort to keep my little love bug alive.

Please, PLEASE research Metacam online before giving your cat any more of that potentially very dangerous drug. Metacam is NOT labeled for oral use in cats. In fact, there are specific cautions on the label against such use and warnings about its potential for renal and liver damage in cats. Metacam has been implicated in the serious illnesses and/or deaths of many cats. As a elderly feline, your cat may very well already have some degree of renal insufficiency, putting him at much higher risk of serious renal complications and damage with Metacam. I, personally, will not give Metacam to any of my cats for any reason - even the young, healthy cats with perfectly healthy kidneys.

While I agree that a dental cleaning and any necessary extractions is advisable for your cat, you should also invest in a full blood chemistry and Total T4. These will provide considerable diagnostic information which will help rule out (or in) various medical conditions that may also be accounting for your cat's rapid weight loss.

I hope that you can return your cat to a stable and sufficiently healthy condition.

Hi Laurie,
Thank you for the caution. Ok. no more Metacam.
I did forget to mention that we did have a blood profile and CBC done on that 11/23 visit and the vet said it looked pretty good. So I will take him in for the dental exam and cleaning tomorrow and hope for the best.
Incidently today he was having a good day - he even felt well enough to walk around the back yard as i raked leaves. So perhaps me syringing food and hydrating him has helped.
Thanks again and i'll post what happens tomorrow.

When you take your cat to the vet tomorrow, ask for copies of ALL of his test results to keep on file at your home. I can't tell you how many times vets have told me that bloodwork looked fine (or "pretty good"), only to find that there were significant causes for concern when I reviewed the bloodwork myself. There are many veterinary websites online that offer basic information on evaluating blood tests so that you'll have an idea of what may need further investigation or at least discussion with your vet. "Pretty good" really doesn't tell you anything useful. A copy of the lab report will. Also, ask your vet if a Total T4 was run to check thyroid function. If not, I strongly recommend you have that run, as well.

Hi Laurie,
The vet called, while Scout was under anesthesia, they examined his mouth: his tongue was thickened and eroded underneath and there was a mass. This explains his inability to eat, drink and clean himself. She said this was not the kind of thing that heals or improves. We decided it was best to euthanize him while he was still under anesthesia, as it would prevent stressing him out any further. I've racked my brain beginning to second guess myself, because i just dropped him off at vet's this am not thinking that would be our final goodbye. But I think instead of waking him up and him being groggy and upset and then trying to say good bye and then wrestle with him to euthanize him, I made the right decision. He couldn't eat or drink on his own, couldn't clean himself....i could have been selfish and kept him alive for a few more days only to traumatize him force feeding him and ultimately taking him back to the vet to be euthanized. I'm sorry this doesn't have a happy ending. Please don't tell me anything to make me second guess myself anymore. This was so hard.

My boyfriend and I just finished burying him in the woods behind our house.

What gives me peace is that Scout and I had a great day together yesterday. I made sure to feed and water him and he had a nice walk outside around the house, playing in the weeds, scouting around the perimeter of the woods that back up to my lawn. And knowing that I did not let him wither away to a decrepit state or become miserable. He slept with me all night and i remember falling asleep with him and petting him while he purred.

Thanks for your concern and advice and I wish you and any furry friends you may have the best of luck.

I have a female 13 y/o cat named Khaki so now it will just be the two of us.

I'm so sorry for the loss of Scout. Of course if he had some type of inoperable oral cancer, that would dramatically change the outlook for a comfortable quality of life for Scout. Your decision to give him a peaceful passing was made with love.

Four weeks ago I noticed changes in my Mia and finally a week before Christmas realized she wasn't eating and acting a little different. Took her to the vet and she had elevated white blood cells. Started her on Clavamox which gagged her, and we tried, possibly causing aspiration, the vet only handed me canned food and a syringe and said to get food in her. Nothing about the dangers of a cat not eating. On you tube I learned how to syringe feed her and it took another week for me to research and realize she wasn't getting nearly enough food in. At the vet again another subQ hydration, Xray and still no advice about eating although they gave me Nutri-Cal. Yet another week and I am force feeding her more, she still uses her litter box, and developed pneumonia so the vet gave her a shot of antibiotic at the last visit and told me to steam the bathroom for her. She is weaker, congested even more, so I bought a vaporizer and now she is kept locked in the bathroom and I force feed her every 1 1/2 hour to two hours. I hate forcing her to eat, and it kills me to see her struggle and weak. Day after tomorrow they want to take blood again, and they act like she will be fine until then. I am worried she needs more supportive care, and I am in an area where there is no other vet to go to. She is breathing to get enough air, and I am slow and careful when syringe feeding. I don't want to give up on my baby. I am worried sick she has too much damage to her liver. Am I doing enough?

I'm so sorry for what you're going through with your girl. You have my greatest respect for being willing to provide the sort of intensive care that Mia needs right now.

When you take her back for bloodwork on Monday, be sure to get copies of ALL of her test results (both Monday's and all tests run on her previously). It will help us to offer useful insights and suggestions if you could post all of her test results here so that we can see them and see exactly what's been tested and what hasn't. When you post results, please include the lab's reference ranges like so (this is important because reference ranges vary from lab to lab):

ALB 3.9 (2.2-4.4)
ALKP 90 (10-90)
ALT 67 (20-100)
etc.

From your post, here is my assumed possible progression of events (of course, I have no way of knowing whether any of this is actually correct). Mia developed an infection for which the vet prescribed liquid Clavamox. She may have aspirated some of the Clavamox into her lungs, triggering pneumonia. Due to lack of information, you underfed her while learning to syringe feed, which may have triggered hepatic lipidosis. Mia has also not been drinking, so she has become dehydrated, requiring at least two administrations of subQ fluids.

How long ago was she given the antibiotic shot? Which antibiotic was it? Is she on any antibiotics now? How long ago did she get her last subQ fluids? What are you feeding her, and how much of it are you getting into her daily? How many ml are you feeding at a time?

In case you haven't already access these online resources, they will provide you with a lot of tips, techniques, and support in assist-feeding your girl:

It's very likely that even with syringe feeding, your girl isn't getting as much fluid as she needs. I strongly recommend you have your vet teach you how to administer subQ fluids at home. It's really quite an easy procedure, once you get the hang of it, and it can be lifesaving. Yes, it can be nerve-wracking at first, but a little practice and trial and error will quickly make it a routine part of your girl's treatment protocol. Here is a link to familiarize yourself with the procedure:

It is essential that you continue to get adequate food and fluids into your girl, and you can do both by continuing to syringe feed and by learning how to admin subQ fluids at home. Beyond that, you may want to consider consulting with another vet. I know you said that there is no other vet in your area, but you can still seek out a telephone consult with a veterinary specialist. I have done that on several occasions with my own cats. You can seek out appropriate vets online, depending on your girl's specific diagnosis. Be prepared, however, to pay a consult fee.

One last suggestion. Since it looks like you may be looking at a prolonged recovery for your girl, I recommend you buy a digital baby scale so that you can monitor her weight accurately at home. That will help guide you in terms of daily food amounts, as well as help you track her recovery. I bought my digital baby scale off of eBay.

You'll have a much better idea where you stand after you get the results from Monday's bloodwork. In the meantime, keep assist feeding her and working to ease her congestion.

Hang in there. I know this sort of intensive care can be both physically and emotionally draining. Post again any time you need the moral support or have any other questions. And please keep us updated on Mia's condition and on her test results.

I adopted a cat(Bella) for my mom for Christmas from a local shelter. We were aware that in November she was hospitalized for respiratory issues and everything seemed to be ok. Around Jan. 10th, Bella quit eating, drinking, and eventually meowing. My mom took her to the vet and Bella's temp was 105 and she was dehydrated. After an over night stay w/ iv's, Bella was sent home diagnosed w/ the "flu", and was given anti-biotics. After a couple more days of not eating, drinking, and now not getting out of bed even to use the litter box(she was peeing in her bed), Bella was back at the vet. After some testing, she was diagnosed with FIP, which there is no cure. So sadly, Bella had to be put down and we will miss her greatly. The reason i am writing this is because i initially came to this site looking for answers to help her get better, but now its to maybe help someone else looking for that same answer. FIP is tricky to diagnose because it starts out w/ the respiratory issues and then all seems well, and later on down the road, all of the other issues come into play. The loss of appetite, not drinking, being lethargic, etc. I hope this may be helpful to someone who is as puzzled as we were, but i hope there is a different reason other than this for your cats behavior.

I am crying reading all of these because I am so scared my ending will not be happy. I have had Douglas Jangles (1/2 Persian, 1/2 Tabby) for 10 years. I fed him from 2 days old and on, his mother abandoned him. He has been with me ever since.
So, what's been going on with Douggie:
He got in a cat fight about 4 weeks ago (he is declawed). He really hurt the back of his claws-there was a lot of blood due to digging him with his hind claws. All seemed to heal okay after that other than the fact that he started spraying but I assumed that was territorial. Anyway, about three weeks ago, everytime he ate his food (I get him the Costco weight control kind-have been for 2 years)he threw it up. He throws up the whole thing-looking like he scarfed it down. So, I switched him to some Friskies Indoor kitty canned food and he seemed to do really well on that for a week or two until he started throwing that up. I noticed that he has stopped drinking water. I came home on 2/2/12 and he was lethargic, he would not come to me and he would not eat (so not Doug J) so I took him into the vet that evening and she gave him fluids, something to take down his fever and an antibotic shot that should last two weeks. She said that if that did not work that they would have to do a full panel of bloodwork. That e.r. trip cost me $350.00 and I had to pay it up front and I don't get paid again until the 15th so I have to hope and pray I can research some ideas to get him to eat. Doug does not hide like some of the other cats in this forum and he seems fine other than no appetite and not drinking water. Any suggestions or ideas? Any help...my husband and I just bought a house so we have NO extra funds at the moment. I think ten is too young to give up on him, he's my buddy....

I am telling my story because I have not seen anyone mention the issues my Cleo is suffering from. First, my vet explained to me when cats get sick they revert to their feral ways and hide their sickness so as not to appear sick and get attacked by other cats in the colony. My Cleo must have had this issue for 6 months and I could only see that she was more finicky than usual about her food. I didnt see any weight loss because her hair is so long and she had no other symptoms. Secondly, she has had bouts of fever that when on the increase made her extremely lethargic, breathing shallow but fast and just an overall general malaise that made her appear to be on her deathbed.

Cleo is 14 years old with a very sweet disposition. I never noticed anything amiss until she stopped eating altogether around Christmas Day. I took her to the vet and the blood work/examination didnt reveal anything, we only knew she had gone from 8 lbs. to 6.25 lbs. The vet said we would need x-rays and ultrasound to diagnose her ($600) and prescribed cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite. I have been unemployed for over a year now so money is scarce; no further testing could be done. I found a cat clinic and the vet couldnt find anything either, the blood tests were normal except for very slightly elevated white blood cells and same with enzymes from liver; also said further testing required. Finally, with her not getting better and tired of seeing her so sickly, I scraped the money together for x-rays which revealed black spots throughout her lungs and her trachea was extended up arch-like which the vet said was typical for cancer. He told me it could be one of three things: bacterial pneumonia, fungal infection or cancer. I opted to give her antibiotic to see if it cleared up, no luck. After 10 days of zeniquin, the only thing making her better was the steroid prednisolone. I finally cashed out the last of my 401K to get the ultrasound done ($500). It revealed she has histoplasmosis, a systemic fungal infection which has permeated several organs. The treatment will take 3 to 6 months and her recovery is extremely slow. Her weight has dropped to 5 lbs. and I must assist-feed her with the help of my son. Her medication mitraconazole was compounded into liquid form and is easily administered with the vial and syringe given by the pharmacy. I administer pills with the help of "pill-popper" I got from vet. One of the side-effects of mitraconazole is loss of appetite, so even after meds started I thought she wouldnt make it. With the help of my vet who feels challenged to save her and my refusal to put her down for sake of convenience, I believe she is on the mend. This infection can run in indoor or outdoor cats but is contracted through contaminated soil; I remember Cleo getting crazy with the soil one day last spring, she must have inhaled it! If I had any more money, I would take her to a holistic vet for nutritional advice.

Im sorry no one has offered any help or advice but I understand about being desperate to help your Douggie. I am not an expert and can only say from experience not to let him get too far into this anorexia; you must feed him so he will not waste away before you have a chance to diagnose and treat him. I would advise to get an appetite stimulant from the vet; it only cost me $18 for Cyproheptadine. It didnt make Cleo's appetite return to normal but did get her to eat small amounts in addition to the assist feeding. I tried mashing the pill and putting in her food but it had a bitter taste she did not like. Better to administer with "pill-popper" if you can get one from the vet. The pill-popper is about the size and length of a pencil with a rubber opening on one end to insert the pill and a plunger at the other end so you can put it down towards the back of his throat to swallow. Yes, you will have to assist feed him. I found videos on YouTube about wrapping your cat "burrito" style in a towel and another one from a vet showing how to hold its head; it takes two of us to feed my Cleo. I bought three of those 10 ml medicine syringes and blend the food into a "slurry" that I can feed her a little at a time. Give him time to swallow it and dont overdo it or he will spit it out. I have tried different things to feed my Cleo starting with pate-style cat food mixed with baby food, a little low-sodium broth to dilute and have also mixed in fresh sweet potato and chicken breast; I also mix in some NutriCal which is a nutritional supplement. Anything to get my Cleo some nutrients but I end up giving her two of those syringes of food at least twice a day and put some water in the third syringe just to help her out (she is only 5 lbs. right now). You may read about others giving their cat tuna water or broth and thats great but the cat must have protein to survive; so far Cleo isnt gaining significant weight but I am simply trying to keep her from losing more weight until she feels better and regains her appetite. I read that others give their cat Hills AD cat food which is prescription only from vet or CliniCare liquid supplement but Ive not tried either on Cleo yet. I found my Cleo sitting by her water bowl but not drinking it; I decided to give her bottled water and she seems to like it better than the tap water; some are of the opinion to give cats filtered water, makes sense to me. Of course every cat is different and every day is a struggle but I try to change up her to foods to whatever she will eat. Some suggest "smelly" cat food for sick animals but I didnt find that to help my Cleo. I tend to think that something light and palatable is better for her (as for me too!). The vet jokingly said to feed her In-N-Out burger if she would eat it!!

Be sure to give Douggie lots of love and attention so he knows you are trying to help. Best wishes to you and Douggie J.

It's critically important that Doug maintains proper hydration. Dehydration will not only seriously impact his overall physical health, but it will really do a number on his appetite, as well. If he will not drink on his own, you should go back to your vet and have him teach you how to administer subQ fluids at home. I know that sounds daunting, but it's actually quite a simple procedure once you get the hang of it and some practice under your belt. The following link will provide you with a lot of information and links to tutorials about home administration of subQ fluids:

Hopefully, Doug has recovered from his fever by now and is eating the drinking on his own again, but if not, the links I have provided should help until you can get him back to the vet for that blood panel (which I strongly recommend if he is still acting ill).

Actually she's very irritable and bad-tempered. no one can touch or carry her. I and my friend tried to force her to eat but she was so fierce that we can't even take her to a vet.
Also, i can't open her mouth to force her to eat. I think there's sth strange about her, she always bends her body and like a camel. Plz help :'(

I'm very sorry, Amr_coteet555555, but if you can't touch your cat, convince her to eat, or get her to a vet, I have no idea how to help you. Perhaps your local shelter or animal control could loan you a live trap to try to trap your girl. If you can get her into a trap, at least you can take her to a vet for an exam. It sounds like the vet would have to sedate her in the trap before even beginning the exam, though.

My house was on fire last week, and it took awhile before my cat, Bella, was rescued. She is 11 and spent two days in oxygen at an emergency hospital. She was home for one day and she acted normal- eating, drinking, and using the litter box. The next day, she stopped eating. We took her back to the emergency hospital on Monday and she has been there since. They've diagnosed her with an upper respitory infection, which has now clear. Blood work is normal. Xray is normal other than some constipation. She recieved an edema and will eat a little bit of baby food. We went to visit today, and she wouldn't eat anything we tried to give her- she is very active still though. They are running more blood but they said that if itis normal, she is going home tomorrow. What can we do? What could it be? Will she be all right?

My 17 years old female persian cat, Frisky got sick after she had her annual vaccination on July 3rd. When I took her home from her annual vaccination, she wasn't feeling well and hasn't drink or eaten. I thought it could be from the vaccination. I waited for few more days to see if she can eat or drink. She hasn't eaten or drink for few days so I took her to the Vet on July 6th. The vet said she has anisocoria (unequal pupils in her eyes). She stayed at the hospital for few days for IV fluid therapy and tried taking Cyproheptadine medication increase her appetite. She still hasn't eating or drinking. I'm trying to ask my Vet to give her more tests. He didn't want to give her any tests and thinks nothing he can do. On that day, July 9th, I took her home. After I brought her home, I've noticed she walked like wobbly and had alot of fluid in her stomach and back legs. I wasn't too happy with the Vet anymore because he showed no concerned and he wouldn't do anything to help her. I transferred to a new Vet on July 12th, he seemed very nice. He was willing to give her alot of tests to investigate and trying to figure out why she doesn't eat or drink at all. I let my cat stayed at the hospital for few days so they can give her tests. They performed bloodtests, ultrasound, first and second radiograph and echocardiogram. On July 16th, I came to the vet to see how she is doing. He said he found out that she has anemia, congestive heart failure and kidney problems. He gave her Lasix oral and Benazepril oral medications. He was still trying to get her to eat many different kind of food. She's finally drinking alittle but still not eating at all! I took her home that day to see if she eats alittle. She still not eating, but drinking alittle. Few days later, I took her back to the vet so he can give her IV fluid. She stayed at the hospital over last weekend so the vet can try other appetite stimulants to see if she can eat again. No luck. Today, I went to the vet. I asked the vet about how to get her eating again and will she live? He said she is 17 years old, the medicines she's taking are not helping her, she's not getting any better and the vet thinks if she continues not eating until next week, she should put to sleep so she won't suffer of not eating. I was so upset and couldn't beleive what I hear. I know the vet is trying so hard to get her eating but it's so difficult. She doesn't look like she's dying. She seemed walking alittle, meowing sometimes and sleeps alot. It's so hard for me to make a decision to let her go sooner. I don't know what to do.

Hi everyone,
I found this forum a few weeks ago when I was in a similar situation. It started off with our family pet vomiting all the time, then she started losing weight. We thought it could be hair balls so we bought her hair ball remedies and the it eased up. She started getting very thin and couldn't jump as much or walk as far anymore. We took her to the vet and found out she was at least 15, more since I remember growing up with her as a kid (we took her in after a store owner abandoned her when we moved and literally kicked her out). So I'd say she was about 18-19, maybe a tabby breed but not 100% sure
Anyway, the vet took a urine test-wasn't diabetic. Blood test-had a double white blood cell count. She weighed 4.6 lbs and for her age, should have been 8-10 but she was always on the smaller side. When you pet her all you could feel was fur and bones. The vet gave her an antibiotic shot which made her poop and sent my mom home with medicine, the diagnosis was either cancer or a kidney infection. My mom didn't get an X-ray because of the cost and surgery so took a chance on the kidney infection. The vet bill came out to be around 250, the cat started to get better, she would eat more, one day she ate 2 cans. The final days she was falling because she couldn't keep herself up and ate very little. My
Mom saw her take her last breath yesterday. Sad but she was so pitiful and in so much pain. I made sure to post this in case someone was in a similar situation. The medicine might have prolonged her by a week but she didn't finish taking it. Had my mom given her the surgery she might have lived but she was old and might have not survived it. Vets are extremely expensive and just didn't help in this case. Good luck to anyone who has a cat like mine and just keep in mind when they pass that they were suffering and in pain.

My cat has similar symptoms that started a few weeks ago, first thing I noticed was her eye was watery, then her habits changed and I thought she seemed thinner. I took her to the vet, the ran a blood panel and found that she has hyper thyroid and anemia. Her red blood cell count is very low so they started her on a steroid and scheduled an ultrasound with a specialist. Her ultrasound showed no sign of tumors, we started her on a drug for her thyroid. Her thyroid has improved but her red blood cell count is still low and she's lost more weight and now has stopped eating. I started spoon feeding her with smelly wet food, she will take a few bites then lay down and look away. I also hand feed her some soft cat treats, she eats a few and stops. As of now she's eating maybe a teaspoon or less of food a day and some water, she mostly drinks when I put the bowl in front of her. She's sleeping a lot and in strange places.

The vet and the specialist are unsure what is causing the anemia or why it's not responding to the steroid. Tomorrow she starts on a new drug that is a chemo drug, it is also used to treat auto immune problems.
I'm hoping this works and she gets better! She's 13 and has always been healthy.
She's so frail and lazy now, if I wasn't forcing her to eat I think she just wouldn't bother. After reading this forum I am going to ask about syringe feeding her and try that, I will do anything to get food into her and help her gain some weight back!

I adopted her when she was 1 from a shelter, she was a feral cat. She's been indoors her whole life since then. We lost her once when she managed to some how get out the door, she was missing for 4 months and we thought she had been killed by coyotes after a lot of searching, posting and handing out missing signs and then finally I hired a pet detective to help look for her. The conclusion was that coyotes got her...a month later I get a call that she had been hanging around this house for the last few months, they were feeding her but she was living outside!
We were so happy to have her back!! She has been close to me ever since, always within a foot of me no matter where I am in the house. I can't bear the thought of her not being around :(.
I'm praying her new medication makes her better.

Also, someone mentioned their cats red blood count was at 2? I don't know that was a percentage, but that's dangerously low and normally would be a life threatening situation that requires a visit to the ER! 25% is the lowest end of normal i believe. 10% calls for a transfusion immediately.

I commend you for the exceptional care and commitment you have demonstrated with your cat. All animals should be so lucky to live in a loved and dedicated home like yours.

Two things jump to mind reading your post. First, both methimazole and anemia can strip a cat of her appetite. What dose did your vet have you start with methimazole, and what dose is she on now? Where did her Total T4 start, and where is it now? When did she start on methimazole?

What is her HCT or PCV, and is it holding steady, or is it decreasing or increasing?

Do you have copies of all of her lab results? If not, you should. It's important to maintain a set of all of your animals' labs at home so that you can track any changes and anomalies and discuss them with your vet. It's quite common for vets to not have or take the time to review past labs during vet appointments. It's YOUR job to make sure that they are aware of any changes or trends in lab values so that nothing is overlooked.

The following links will provide you with lots of tips, tricks, and techniques to help you get adequate food into your girl:

She started the thyroid meds about 2 weeks ago, her T4 (I think) was 6.6 and now is 2.6? I don't understand these numbers but the vet tells me everything that has changed from one visit to the next, she goes over previous results and what has improved or dropped. They weigh her each time too, even when I was there 3 times for blood test this week!
My vet talks to the internist to discuss treatment etc.
The steroids dose is 10mg a day, I feel this really high for such a small kitty, after few weeks there has been small changes but not enough to say the steroids are working very well.

I don't know what HCT or PCV is. I know that her red blood cell count was at 21% last week and on Tuesday it was 25%, the vet was happy about this because we were afraid it dropped and she might need a transfusion.

I will definitely ask for a copy of her labs from both the vet and internist, I've been thinking I should have these anyway, at least then I can do some research and learn what all these tests and numbers mean. The vets will tell me but really, it's so much info that I don't remember anything except whether things are better or not! I do research all the drugs that prescribed though, that way I know what I am giving her and ask questions if I have to.

The new medication is a chemo drug, I'm weary of this drug because I read that one of the side effects can be anemia..which is what we are fighting.

Today I gave her some ice cream, she ate about a half teaspoon. I also force fed her some wet cat food, she wouldn't eat it so I opened her mouth and just stuck it in there, she chewed and swallowed. I don't want to be mean to her but I don't want her to get sicker, she needs to eat.

Also, since Feb. I've been dealing with a sick dog, he's 12, he lost about 6lbs, he's only a 20lb dog. He was diagnosed with possible IBD, I had them do the ultrasound which showed inflammation of his colon etc. He started on high dose steroids and they wanted to change his diet to a prescription low fat food, I told them it would make him sicker because he does not eat grain or chicken...I tried it anyway and I was right. I put him back on his grain free dry food, Natural Balance fish and sweet potato. He gained back his weight within a couple months and stopped having digestive issues.
During this time he started having seizures (he had 1 for the first time in Dec. and nothing until Feb). He saw the internist too for his issues. They said it's very possible that he has a brain tumor but to find out would cost 3k of testing and to what result? Would I put him through expensive treatment that won't cure him? No, that would be pointless.
They gave me a supplement that protects his liver because of the long term use of steroids (he's down to 10mg now). I also got him California carrots, it is dehydrated carrots and is supposed to be really good for dogs, especially with his digestive disease.
Meanwhile, he had started having cluster seizures every 2 months, 1 day of seizures, he'd have up to 7 throughout the day. We tried seizure meds but after 2 days he started having serious problems, he was swaying and falling down and eventually couldn't walk, he was laying in his own pee. So I took him to the ER, told them about the meds and that I thought it was a bad reaction to them. After examining him the ER doc comes and tells me that based on the fact that they think he has a brain tumor from his previous visit, that he is probably in an advanced stage and that I should consider putting him down! I took him home, upset that I was probably going to have to put him to sleep the next day! I fed him lots of cookies and sat outside with him, he started walking around a little and begging for more cookies. Still in my mind I thought it was the medicine which I had stopped giving him at the first sign of stumbling. The next morning there he was, standing and begging to go out, I let him out and he ran down the stairs and did his usual jaunt around the yard, he was normal again, by the following day he was 100%! I will never give him that medication again!!
After much asking if there was something he could be given during or right after the 1st seizure to stop them, they finally gave me valium to give him when needed! They work too, he has 1 and then they stop. Now he's not spending the following week completely out of it and confused, he's better right away.
I also now give him K9 immunity that I heard about, it's supposed to be good for dog with brain tumors. He's doing well with the exception of peeing in the house, he's confined to an area with pee pads (never did this before) and now I put pull ups on him...he's embarrassed but it saves my carpet.

It seems the minute I got his problems under control the cat started getting sick. I'm running a home for senior pets! There are a lot of medications in my house for the two of them!

Sorry for the long post and going a bit off topic...just wanted to share my experience and what I've found works..if only I could figure out the cat and have her bounce back the way the dog has.

Update: I've been offering her food every few hours, sometimes she eats a few bites sometimes more, definitely eating more than she was before. She's been more social and up and around a lot more too. Not back to her normal self but definitely doing better and obviously feeling better. Hoping to talk to the vet tomorrow. A couple times I have put baby food in medicine syringe and gave it to her, she's not happy about it but at least she's getting a little more food. She gets up and comes to see me, sniffing around to find out what food I am offering now! I have given her several different types of canned food as well as baby food chicken and turkey, she likes all of it so far..she even went to her bowl on her own and ate a couple of times, finally!! OH and I've been giving her vanilla ice cream :)

My cat Milo, strictly indoors (10 1/2) had been acting not quite like himself last week so my wife and I took him to an Emergency Vet here in SC. He was barely touching his food and water, vomiting daily and defacating on the carpet (which he only did at night or when we weren't home, he used his litter box when we were around or during the day). After giving the Doctor a background of what had been going on (throwing up of a large piece of curled up plastic), etc she wanted to run some blood work and do an x-ray of his abdomen to see if he had a blockage. The blookd work came back and revealed he had an elevated ALT, normalized ALKP, elevated total bilirubin. He was kept over night for observation and the blood work was resubmitted the next morning. It showed the ALT had come down slightly, still normal ALKP, but bilirubin was still elevated. At this time, the doctors wanted to perform an ultrasounds were performed. The imaging revealed two soft tissue masses within the liver. After discussions, we decided to wait and see how his vitals looked the following morning before rushing him to surgery. His blood work had improved the following morning, so we opted for a less evasive procedure where fine needed aspirates were taken of the liver masses and sent off to a pathology lab.

The results of the aspirates came back as 'suspicious of Biliary Carcenoma' but a biopsy would be necessary to confirm.

In their opinion he has liver cancer and it's not curable even with surgery and chemotherapy. After diagnosis they only give a life expectancy of weeks to months.

Obviously we were devastated with this news. We brought Milo home from the hospital after 4 nights in the hospital. He was discharged on 4 medicines (Maropitant 8MG which is for nausea, Marbofloaxacin 25MG antibiotic, Metronidazole 50MG antibiotic and Prednisone 5MG corticosteroid). I have to give him 6 pills a day orally which he hates and I'm hoping he will eat and drink, but so far it's up and down. Today for example he hasn't touched his water and he's picked at his food (I've tried canned tuna, canned chicken with baby food chicken gravy on top, moist whiskas and his dry Hills Prescription W/D which he's eaten the most of). I'm worried I'm going to have to get a syringe and fill it with water and squirt into his mouth to keep him hydrated.

But part of me wonders at the same time if I'm being selfish and cruel by putting him through this...

My cat, Chip was put down Tuesday. I have 5 cats and one has a sensitive stomach so I decided to try a new dry food. They have been on Iams for years. I read the labels on several foods and looked for ones that had meat or poultry as first ingredient. For two or so weeks I tried 2 different dry foods. They all ate one of them, the other none of them ate. Up till then they were all fine. Chip quit eating, had diarrhea and dribbled urine once. My daughter bathed him (long haired cat) to clean this rear end a week and a half ago. Soon after that he was lethargic, lost weight, didn't want to move around. He had a discharge from one eye.
Friday I took him to the vet. He had lost 2 lbs. since July. He was 10.6 and now was 8.6 lbs. The vet wanted to keep him for the weekend to run tests and try to get him to eat. His white blood cell count was high so they gave him fluids and antibiotics. Monday they called and said he could be picked up later in the evening.
I went to pick him up and the tech took awhile to bring him to the room. When they brought him in, the vet came in to talk to me. When they got him out of cage they noticed his stomach was distended (fluid). The vet had drawn some of the fluid and told me it was yellowish in color. She was very concerned about this. They brought him into the room and he didn't look good at all. When I put him on the floor he was unsteady on his feet.
The vet suggested to keep him another night to watch him and rum more tests. Next morning I got a call saying he had taken a turn for the worse, His blood work was all out of wack and she said he was very sick and was going downhill very fast and asked if I wanted to do drastic measures, maybe send him to emergency vet that could do extensive tests. I said no that he had been through enough. (The night before when I was to pick him up he was trembling) I told her I would call her back as I wanted to discuss this with my daughter. We decided to let him go. I was so upset because he went downhill SO fast.
Now I am second guessing myself, Did I make a mistake by not at least trying to nurse and comfort him. The vet said cancer. But that fast? He was 12 years old and until this he was happy and healthy. He was a smart cat. When he wanted something, he would stare at me until I paid attention. He would lead me to what he wanted, water, food, to go out. If I didn't follow him he would come back and stare some more. When I did follow, I could see his ears listening to make sure I was following him.
I am so sad at the loss. a month age he was fine.

With unconditional love for our pets comes the knowledge that one day we will need to make an agonizing decision. From what you've described, it sounds to me like you made the right decision. You wouldn't want to prolong Chip's life if it also meant that you'd be prolonging the suffering.

I've been there twice. Both times, I agonized over whether I could or should have extended my dear cat's life, even after the vet's reassurances. But in retrospect, I know I made the right decision and now, years later, I am grateful for the many years I had with them both.

Yes, this illness can happen that quickly. I took both of my elderly kitties in to the vet every six months for their geriatric check ups. Only two months after hers, my eldest kitty's abdomen filled up with fluid while I was away on a trip. I had to rush home early, and the diagnosis was carcinomatosis. She'd been harboring tiny tumors in her abdomen which finally caused her to leak fluid into her belly. She seemed fine days earlier.

No treatment would have comfortably extended her life, so I had her put down. At least, I was able to be there with her.

I have a 14 and a half year old male cat Sylvester who is currently suffering from an unknown illness.

He is a very very intelligent cat, he has been allowed outdoors whenever he feels like it and has hunted mice/birds in the past also. Here is Sylvester a year ago

Around 1 year ago he started to sit with one of his back legs facing outward - we noticed this immediately however as nothing had changed in him apart from this - we let it go. However, around 2 months ago, his condition started to deteriorate rapidly.

He now has very weak, slow back legs. He has a dip in his spine around the hip area and very thin hips. Over the past 2-3 months he has also developed a twitch which is gradually getting worse. His twitches are extremely bad whenever he starts drinking his water. He was previously a very tall, large (not overweight) but big boned cat. Bigger than a Jack Russell dog. We have been taking him back and fourth to the vet (he has had the same vet since he was born - she knows him very well) for around 3 months now. He has been prescribed Loxicom and J/D food for arthritis. However, after multiple appointments he is now off Loxicom and taking a steroid and some Lactulose to help him go to the toilet. He has been fed only the best Hills Science Plan dry food all his life and some wet food as a treat, so he is very healthy. We take him for 3/4 walks on his lead a day (as the vet suggested that his days of venturing on his own are over) or whenever he sits by the door waiting to get out we take him a walk - this increases his appetite a bit more too and stimulates him to do the toilet. Recently we have been feeding him cat milk and more wet food to help him go to the toilet. However when he does go to the toilet for a poo, just after he is done he falls over in his litter tray almost as if his back legs have given up. Very recently, only a few days ago he has started to have less of an appetite. He is still sipping him milk and eating one or two cubes of hard food and 1 or 2 licks of wet food but apart from that, nothing else. I cant even tempt him on his favourite treat - tuna.

The vet has checked his blood results twice, both indepth, and we have been shown the results and all vital organs and blood work are fine and in great health - except an enzyme in his liver but neither of the 4 vets at the practice seen this as any problem. He has been tested for Hyperthyroidism and kidney problems - everything came back clear. His reflexes were tested and is showing very weak reactions in his back legs. He was given an enema to help releave his bladder and get rid of some poo inside him - just incase he was blocked up inside. His anal glands were full aswell before they were releaved. He is such a clean cat and he hates going anywhere near his litter tray but if he is desperate then he knows where to go.

The vets have even giving him holistic medical help too - he has had 4 sessions of reiki which has helped him to sleep much better and walk a little better whereas before his twitching was keeping him awake all night and at one point he scared himself in his sleep because of a large twitch.

We cannot put him under anaesthetic for X-Rays as he is actually allergic to anaesthetic and 5/6 years ago he had a tumour between his shoulder blades and after surgery he almost didn't wake up and come out of it. Our vet does not want to risk this again even though medicine has moved on. We trust our vet and is the only one who knows him well enough to make any judgement. however just to be sure, like you would with your own health, we have seeked the opinion of 2 other vets too.

Tonight a vet is coming to perform acupuncture on him to see if this will help him at all and on Monday he is getting another session of acupuncture and also an ultrasound to see if this will show anything whatsoever - at this point we will try everything we possible can to help our wee boy.

We think this might be neurological however we don't know if this would cause his back legs to be as weak as they are. One vet also agreed that this could possibly be neurological. The nearest Neurological clinic for animals is 4 hours away in Glasgow (I live in the Aberdeenshire area of Scotland). We would take him here but think it could be too stressful a journey for him. But if needs must, it will be done to help him. However we have tried out best to get information from them.

Could this be a slipped disc? or trapped nerves? A viral tumour?? Its not just 'old age' which some vets have put it down too. I refuse to believe that. His mind is still very active and old age doesn't just deteriorate the bode like the way his has deteriorated.

Any help would be very very much appreciated - any treatment suggestions would also be appreciated - no matter the cost. Money is no object when it comes to the life of our Sylvester. Although he is on steroids and pain relief and medicine to help him go to the toilet and relax his nerves - we feel he isn't actually being treated for anything at the moment.

Im sorry for the long post, I am just at a dead end as to how to help him?

I agree with that he really isn't being treated for whatever is causing his symptoms. I wouldn't waste time on the acupuncture since the symptoms really sound like a neurological problem but would instead make an appt at the Neurological clinic asap. I also wouldn't worry about the 4 hour drive being too stressful since it's usually the humans that are stressed more than animals. Before the trip try to determine if Sylvester is comfortable looking at the scenery or if he prefers hiding behind covers. He may prefer a small crate vs a large one, or he may do better with a harness tied to the seat belt. Getting him comfortable will make for a better trip for everyone. : )
I once made a 4 hour drive with my Mother's cat (who had never been in a car) and discovered that she loved sitting in her flexible carrier in the rear window area. Once we unzipped the end flap so she could see out better, she laid down, watched cars go by and never meowed again.

Do keep us updated on Sylvester. I wish him the best with his next appointment.

Thank you very much. I have now posted it as a new post. He is weakening still and getting thinner and thinner. Hes actually eating and still has an appetite. We will hopefully get an ultrasound for him this evening and another session of acupuncture. We also may think it could be diabetic neuropathy. I will update when I have some more news :)